I haven't been much of a blogger lately. I want to be. I write when inspiration hits, but not consistently or regularly. A friend in my running group (Mia @ SwimSpinRunEat) turned me onto a writing challenge posted by RunTriMom and I figured this was the perfect opportunity to write more and talk about some new topics.

Each day there will be a different subject that RunTriMom laid out and I will put my spin on it. Here we go!

10 THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

1. THE BEACHSpecifically the ocean. Salt water makes me happy. I'm one of those weird people that thinks low tide smells good. Boats aren't always my friend and I don't really go swimming or want to lay out tanning all day, but I will walk along salt water, in tide pools, run along the shore, or do yoga on the beach. Being active and breathing in salty air equals Jessie being happy as a freaking clam.

​2. DOING YOGAI used to be kind of anti-yoga. Anti-ME DOING-yoga at least. I thought I couldn't do it because I would struggle to sit still and be calm and that I would fail at it. But I slowly got past that limit I set for myself and now I smile the entire time I'm doing yoga. Like I'm stretching my hamstrings and smiling. Why am I smiling? (Not that I'm complaining about smiling!) The breathing calms me down. The stretching makes my body happy. It all makes my brain happy 😊

3. COACHING GIRLS ON THE RUNGirls on the Run is the BEST part of my day. The girls always make me smile and it's such a nice change of pace after working in an office with adults all day. I love getting to know the girls each season, helping them learn lessons and life skills I wish I had learned earlier (and that I am learning myself). We run, skip, jump, cheer, and I get to make super cute healthy snacks. Best program ever!

4. REACH THE BEACHReach the Beach weekend is full of fun and happiness...and also exhaustion. 😂 First amazing part of Reach the Beach is the fun of the theme. Penguin errething?? Okie doke! Buy all the shirts and costumes and hats and inflatables penguins! I'm a sucker for a theme and a costume. Sign me up! Second amazing part of Reach the Beach: Cheering on anyone and everyone. We pull over, we cheer for everyone, we write on the roads in chalk, ring all the cowbells, etc. I get to run through beautiful scenery, I get to escape my normal day to day office life, and live in the moment, smiling and cheering every second that I'm not collapsing due to exhaustion. ​And I also get to make spreadsheets predicting our finish times for each run because I'm still a nerd like that.

5. AERIALI just went to aerial yesterday for the first time in almost a year and was immediately reminded why I love it so much. I feel comfortable there, even though I'm doing something that doesn't come naturally to me. I speak out in class when I stay pretty quiet in a lot of situations. I can be me! I can push my body to do things that are hard. I can push my mind and my soul to be creative in movement and do things that are scary.​6. TEAM CHALLENGEReasons I'm happy I got diagnosed with Crohn's disease: finding Team Challenge! Everyone is so kind and accepting. Everyone understands Crohn's life. Everyone lifts each other up. I feel comfortable and can be myself. I make new friends each season and travel to new cities with them. I'm challenged to keep fundraising for a cause that I'm so connected to and I'm challenged to keep signing up for half marathons!

7. PERSONALITY TESTS/TYPESDon't ask me why on this one. I just thoroughly enjoy taking every single personality test I come across. They fascinate me! Occasionally I force my friends and family to take them too. I once read every question of the MBTI test out loud three times to three people as we drove to the mountains. Whoops!

8. PSYCHICSPsychics fascinate me. I don't really know if they make me happy exactly, but this is something I could talk forever about. So I guess that's happiness! I might watch every psychic TV show in existence...​9. NEW GIRLI could watch this show every day until the end of time. (These last two items are revealing my true life as a TV binger.) I laugh at every single episode and watched the entire series twice this year. Winston is amazing. Also I am the same personality type as Nick Miller. So there's that...

10. PUPSBefore getting my first dog, Abby, I wasn't an animal person at all. Cue Abby. Cue Jessie the animal lover. They do silly things, they love you no matter what, and they wiggle their buts when you get home. Love! The late Abby, the current Diesel, and the soon to be adopted Bristol are responsible for thawing my frozen heart!

​This was fun 😊 See you tomorrow!

- Jessie

Hi, I'm Jessie!

I live in NH with my husband and our pup. My favorite things are coaching Girls on the Run, eating good food that I didn't have to cook, helping other people work on their health, volunteering for and running races, watching tv, doing yoga, and spending too much time on social media. #Balance